Development of a dose-adjustable α-particle irradiation facility for radiobiological studies

• Published in: Nuclear science and techniques 2005, Vol.16 (2), p.102-107
• Main Author: HUBu-Rong WUJie-Feng HANWei WANGXu-Fei WULi-Jun YUZeng-Liang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bystander效应; α-粒子辐射; 低频辐射源; 放射性防护; 调节方法
• ISSN: 1001-8042; 2210-3147

Bystander effects induced by low-dose or low dose-rate radiation have put a great challenge to the traditional model for radiation protection. In order to get a better assessment of the adverse effects of radiation, especially the low-dose radiation risk in environment, a radioactive irradiation facility, by which the dose and dose-rate to the biological targets can be controlled by rotating the sample bracket and changing the space between the radioactive source and the targets, was developed. The energy of our α-radioactive source (^241Am) is measured averagely 3.5 MeV at the position of the irradiated sample. The dose rate was measured by using a silicon surface barrier detector and a CR39 particle track detector. A dose rate ranging from 0.045 cGy/s to 1.07 cGy/s can be obtained by changing the space length from the radioactive source to the sample dish.